The Boudoir Workshop

Lesson 39 of 49

Boudoir Parties

The Boudoir Workshop

Lesson 39 of 49

Boudoir Parties

Lesson Info

Boudoir Parties

So I know I get a lot of questions about boudoir parties they're a great way to like kick start we've clientele it's also this is important a really good way to offer a budget option without discounting our prices because you never want to discount we'll talk about that later on we get teo pricing in sales but I just want to bring it up now because this is a really useful way to make it more affordable but essentially it's a different products you're not discounting yourself they're getting less time they're getting unless personalize experience of having to do it with other people um so it's a different thing entirely so it's okay to lower your prices for this um and you know you'll get a lot of word of mouth that's super fun and you'll build a clientele and friends keep the same company so if you're trying to reach your ideal client like her friends are probably all your ideal client um fast tracks you're learning you're gonna learn so much if you put together about due to our partie...

s and I call him parties not marathons marathon don't sound fun to me that sounds like a lot of work that sounds exhausting who's gonna want to come to a boudoir marathon not me I want to come to a party though and you can create a really expensive portfolio and variety so another good reason why they're a good idea and again, more budget friendly option without discounting um and we'll get into marketing in the day so I'm gonna take some questions about boudoir parties or anything we talked about um and then we'll take a break yeah have you read them? How do I read? Um, good question I will set up at a hotel um and each woman gets about forty five minutes give or take depending like some women. Oh, well, shave a few minutes off some woman I'll give a few minutes more three sets one is a studio set up because I set it up and I don't have to worry about the lighting and then ones usually back lit up again the windows and the third is usually the bed typically now there's a rock and lounge couch like it depends if this is a really sweet hotel there's you know, I've done some really gorgeous, so tell us what those are just like budget hotel options. It's pretty standard but I will always do three sets and it's the same one and I have my lighting preset um so I figure it out pretty quick. I have assistance because I need someone on time I need someone on fan I need someone chooses transitioning women in and out of makeup uh and it depends on if I'm shooting like five women I've sought up to twenty two women in one day, and that was eight to ten minutes each and a shot to women like canada and celeste, and what we did was trade, so one was in here and make up changing, and when I was shooting one, um so yes, I do your customer in the party meet each other or you keep them there well separated, um, I don't keep them separated, and they either chat with each other, they don't have their friends, and they're not, um, usually they are friends. Um, twenty two women think they had all just met, but they were really, like, tight. Um, so that was fun. Have you ever gone to the person who's holding its house and done the shoot at their house instead of doing a hotel or open up your own house, right? That's what I did and I'm you're opening up your whole house for yeah, I wouldn't ever do it at my place. I like to keep business and personal separate as much as possible, I mean, as it is already there's a, you know, blurred. So I really try and help I'm really mystic clear about that, I don't want clients in my space there already, and my facebook, um I have nobody would totally go to someone's house and do it I think that would be fun it's just that most people they wanted to be like you know a girly girl slumber party and they state the hotel in the party that night the night after the shoot not the night before do you get the hotel room or are you having them split it I usually will usually if it's a party I book it okay I usually look it a question from eloisa are the women in hair and makeup as long as a normal shoot if it's now how long is that yeah it's just just minimal like thirty minutes so do you ask them they still come without makeup on or they dio yeah I just have hair like dried and clean like fresh bosch is important and foundation on okay yeah good question for larger chutes are for a lot of people in your parties how many rooms do you rent tony rowe just once just once you get an extended sweet or anything yeah usually like a junior suite is usually enough and are you gonna talk about when we talk about sales later sails for boudoir parties and how they're different from an individual um yeah I will ok they're not really but it's a good question how do you do for the product that you sell to your ideal customer and your party? Same products same line of products is nothing different are you screening them different no but what if in a boudoir party they're not necessarily your ideal client but you're not spending this much time with yes oh really not has invested so they're not may be totally one hundred but it's you know not really spending as much time with them is everything posted on your web page or do you actually do mailers or do any paper products of the people to inform them of what's going on about the boudoir part about eh about it nothing's on my website actually it's just kind of emailed information do you find a heart over teo get like I know what I've mentioned this a lot of like girls like I would never do that in front of other girls yeah there are some women like that you don't like think it's like the most fun idea ever and some women are like hell no no in between yeah it's interesting but it has got to find the ones that are like yeah one more quick questions from our jansen how do you deal with hotel time constraints with check in and checkout times for the parties do are you getting two nights you usually get two nights if it's a lot of people but usually I can get a late check out his latest three o'clock thirty you start reeling like at eight I get that a lot of time

Class Description

Join Christa Meola for a hot workshop on the art and business of boudoir photography. Learn what you need to know about lighting and equipment, shooting on location and in the studio, building amazing client relationships, posing, post-production, pricing and much more.

The agenda will include hotly debated topics, business strategy, Q&A’s, portfolio critiques, and a series of live shoots. Take a front-row seat with Christa as she demonstrates how to work with women, from figure models to soccer moms, curvy gals and nervous clients. Watch as she relaxes stiff subjects, coaches natural movement, and captures gorgeous moments that allows each woman’s unique personality and beauty to shine.

This workshop is perfect for you if you want to learn all of the exciting aspects of the boudoir market, whether you’re just getting started or you’re already a seasoned pro and ready to take your business to the next level. Be a part of this exciting and intimate event with fellow photographers around the world focused on how to create a successful boudoir photography business.

a Creativelive Student

This is meant to be a HELPFUL review for those that are wondering if they should purchase this workshop. About 75% of what I took away from this workshop was posing, composition for boudoir and the importance of eye lines and capturing movement. I had two boudoir sessions a week after this workshop and my images significantly improved. I was able to coach my clients through poses better, direct them on where to look for better eye lines, I was more aware of their posture and how to fix it, I think I sounded more professional and felt more confidant with getting awesome poses, stand out expressions and adding movement to my images. I put a fan on my client the way Christa does.. and she is right! The instant I put the fan on my client, her expression changed and you could tell she was really "feeling it". She told me she felt like a real supermodel right after I turned on the fan. If you are looking for inspiration on how to coach women and pose for boudoir then Christa is the girl for you. I think the most worthwhile thing I learned watching this is something that will help me in the years to come... with my brand, my website, my workflow and my business goals. I learned how to "keep it simple" which is Christa's tag line. For example Christa brings a roll of gray background paper and uses gaffer tape to hang it from the wall of the hotel (instead of bringing a 12ft background stand). I know this seems simple but this will change my life! I hate dragging equipment back and forth. There are some negative reviews on here about Christa's technical skills, but I think these people may have missed the whole point. If you provide an awesome product and an awesome experience for your client, they will buy it. And guess what.. your client will never know if you used your camera in auto or manual and they won't care if you used one light instead of two. As someone who has been in business for 3 years doing boudoir exclusively I learned a lot. I see a lot of value in learning from someone who doesn't spend a lot of money on fancy equipment, yet charges her clients over $3,000 for sessions. I'm a huge fan of her keep it simple philosophy and I'm glad Christa is willing to be honest about her workflow and how she best utilizes her time. Your not going to agree with or use everything Christa talks about, you take the parts that you like and are most helpful to you and work them into building a stronger business.

a Creativelive Student

AWESOME DEAL on Christa's course. I just sent an email to my husband to tell him thanks for "gifting" me this course. I told him just the ONE CLASS about pricing was worth the full $129 price of the course. And there are over 50 classes?! That is a crazy stupid good deal. You can learn something good from every class you take, every book you read, and just apply the stuff that works for you. There are a lot of people out there who seem to just enjoy giving crappy reviews, and to me it's almost like bullying. How someone could not find $129 worth of value in this course is beyond me. In my opinion this course is worth over a thousand bucks, because it can help you make SO much more money. I hate when I see people whining about things that are not 100 percent perfect, and they get annoyed if the person isn't catering to their exact needs. It's like the Yelper generation, with a disturbing sense of entitlement. I would love to see those people try teaching a class about boudoir and see if they could do any better. It also seems like, the more popular a person gets, the more other people feel the need to tear them down. I'm grateful that Christa even offered this course at ALL. Thanks Christa for all you do to help those of us who really need to know this stuff. You rock.

a Creativelive Student

I never thought I would shoot boudoir. I am a shy and private person. I started entertaining the idea when I first saw Christa's work and saw how beautiful and tasteful it can be. I love her lighting and all that she uses from historic painters and sculptors.
I watched all three days live and learned a ton. I have a lot of lighting education, but it was nice to freshen up my skills. I loved the posing tips and the three typical situations she uses for one shoot. I loved learning about how she shoots in hotels and also using things like an outdoor situation.
I have now shot my first boudoir session and it was a total hit. I am thrilled to show my client her images.
This was fantastic! Thank you, Christa!